A magnetic device uses magnetic material arranged to shape and direct magnetic flux in a predetermined manner to achieve a desired electrical performance. The magnetic flux provides a medium for storing, transferring or releasing electromagnetic energy. The magnetic devices typically include a core having a predetermined volume and composed of a magnetic material (e.g., ferrite) having a magnetic permeability greater than that of a surrounding medium (e.g., air). A conductive winding (or a plurality of conductive windings) of a desired number of turns and carrying an electrical current surround, excite and are excited by the magnetic core (or legs thereof). Inasmuch as the magnetic core usually has a relatively high permeability, magnetic flux produced by the conductive windings is generally confined almost entirely to the magnetic core. The magnetic flux follows the path that the magnetic core defines; magnetic flux density is essentially consistent over a uniform cross sectional area of the magnetic core, particularly for magnetic cores having a small cross sectional area.
The magnetic devices are often used to suppress electromagnetic interference. When used in the suppression role, the efficiency with which a magnetic device stores and releases electrical power is not usually a concern. However, magnetic devices are also frequently employed to transmit, convert or condition electrical power (so called “power magnetic devices”). Under such conditions (often in an environment of a power converter to power a microprocessor or the like), a performance and efficiency of the magnetic device becomes a major concern.
As those of ordinary skill in the art understand, it is highly desirable to provide a protective, heat dissipating package for electronic circuitry such as an integrated circuit embodying the power converter to power the microprocessor. Often, the electronic circuitry can be encapsulated or “molded,” wherein an encapsulant is formed about the electronic circuitry to yield a unitary, board mountable package. One well known configuration for a board mountable package is a so called dual in-line package, wherein electrical leads protrude from opposing sidewalls of the package. The leads are advantageously so arranged to allow the package to be mounted to a circuit board by various conventional soldering processes. The dual in-line packages are widely used for packaging integrated circuits, most often in computer-related environments.
It has been long felt that power converters would greatly benefit from such encapsulation. However, in the pursuit of producing encapsulated, power converter packages (also referred to as “power modules”), it was discovered that the normally effective operation of encapsulating the power conversion circuitry with a conventional thermosetting epoxy molding compound through a conventional transfer molding process can degrade the magnetic performance and efficiency of the magnetic devices. As a result, an overall efficiency of the power converter suffered well below an acceptable level.
More specifically, an underlying effect that occurs when magnetic devices are encapsulated (causing the magnetic performance of the devices to degrade) is magnetostriction. Magnetostriction (and a related effect of strain pinning of the domain walls of the magnetic cores) occurs as a result of molding pressures and post-molding stresses on the magnetic cores within the power conversion circuitry. Magnetostriction in the magnetic material causes degradation of magnetic properties when placed under tensile or compressive stress. The magnetostriction and strain pinning causes the permeability of the magnetic core to decrease and coercivity thereof to increase. As a result, the electrical design of the power conversion circuitry suffers from both reduced inductance values and reduced quality factors (e.g., higher magnetic core losses).
In the past, work around solutions emerged to address this impasse. First, most designs for power converters simply avoided the problem by remaining unencapsulated. Unfortunately, the power converters were unable to take advantage of the physical protection and additional heat dissipating capacity that encapsulation provides. The unencapsulated power converters were also difficult to mount on a circuit board due to a lack of suitable soldering processes and handling surfaces. The power conversion circuitry of the unencapsulated power converters were also subject to detrimental exposure to washing processes during the manufacture thereof and to potentially damaging conditions in inhospitable environments.
Another solution revolved around employing compliant material disposed about at least a portion of the magnetic core of the magnetic device as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,787,569, entitled “Encapsulated Package for Power Magnetic Devices and Method of Manufacture Therefor,” to Lotfi, et al. (“Lotfi”), issued on Aug. 4, 1998, which is incorporated herein by reference. Lotfi discloses a package for a power magnetic device with a magnetic core subject to magnetostriction when placed under stress. The package includes a compliant material disposed about the magnetic core and an encapsulant surrounding the compliant material and the magnetic core. The compliant material provides a medium for absorbing stress between the encapsulant and the magnetic core. The compliant material reduces the magnetostriction upon the magnetic core caused by the stress from the encapsulant. The package also includes a vent that allows for a displacement of the compliant material thereby providing further stress relief for the power magnetic device. While Lotfi provides a viable alternative to dealing with the stress upon a magnetic core from the encapsulant, it may be cumbersome to deposit the compliant material about the magnetic core in some applications.
Yet another solution was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,261 entitled “Method of Encapsulating Large Substrate Devices Using Reservoir Cavities for Balanced Mold Filling,” to Manzione, et al. (“Manzione”), issued Nov. 26, 1996, which is incorporated herein by reference. Manzione uses reservoir cavities to balance the flow in a mold cavity between the. flow fronts above and below a large area substrate. The reservoir cavities are external to the molded plastic package for an electronic device substrate to direct a flow of the molding compound away therefrom. While Manzione provides an alternative to direct excess molding compound away from the electronic device substrate, it may not viable to employ such a solution in some applications.
Accordingly, what is first needed in the art is an understanding of the underlying effect that occurs when magnetic devices are encapsulated, causing the magnetic performance of the magnetic devices to degrade. Further, what is needed (once the effect is understood) is an encapsulated package for magnetic devices and a power module, and an associated highly economical and feasible method of manufacture for such encapsulated packages that does not substantially hinder the magnetic performance thereof.